photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Journal-World photo

Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant pulls in an interception against BYU on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Kansas’ top two corners will anchor the secondary once again in 2024.

Cobee Bryant announced Monday that he will return for his senior season — he posted a short highlight video on social media concluding with the words “I’m back.”

He joins fellow starter Mello Dotson, who had confirmed in a post of his own on Dec. 10 that he planned to stay at KU next year.

Bryant, a true junior from Evergreen, Alabama, started 12 of 13 possible games for KU at outside corner — he missed the first half against Nevada due to a targeting call the previous week — and racked up 32 tackles, nine passes defensed and four interceptions.

He did that even as opposing quarterbacks frequently avoided throwing to his side of the field altogether; in 10 of 13 games, he got targeted three or fewer times, according to Pro Football Focus. On the whole, he allowed 24 receptions on 37 targets for a total of 357 yards.

Bryant had a highlight-reel one-handed interception against Cincinnati, but he made some of his most memorable plays of 2023 in unconventional ways, including laying out a wide receiver for a forced fumble, fumble recovery and defensive touchdown against BYU and earning his first career sack in the bowl game to halt UNLV’s momentum.

He was named to the all-conference first team following the season.

Getting Bryant and Dotson — two of PFF’s highest-graded cornerbacks in the Big 12 Conference at 78.3 and 77.6, respectively — back for next season means that the Jayhawks will have a strong foundation in the secondary to bolster a defense that will likely feature quite a few new starters.

Questions remain about who will provide depth behind those two, however, with Kalon Gervin and Kwinton Lassiter lost to graduation.